After a couple of months on the sidelines, he is now back in action, and marked his full debut with a goal in the FA Youth Cup final second leg defeat at Chelsea, and then bagged another as a sub in the under-21s’ International Cup semi-final against Leicester.

The Nigerian has looked the part in a sky blue shirt, ever since he turned out for the first team on their pre-season tour and scored against Sporting Kansas in a performance that caused manager Manuel Pellegrini to describe him as “a very important player for us in the future”.

City fans are yearning for a home-grown hero and, while Iheanacho is hardly that – having joined from the Taye Academy in his homeland just 18 months ago – he would light the path to the first team if he made the breakthrough.

Other young Blues have been banging on the door this season – Angelino and Brandon Barker prominent among them – and on-loan youngsters Jason Denayer and Marcos Lopes are likely to get a chance to impress in the summer.

But Iheanacho has instantly looked ready, both in terms of physicality and ability, and looks like a player who would thrive from playing with better, senior players.